RRRRRuby Cooper likes the typical main actress in soap opera has an awful family issue. Her parents are divorced and she has an unreliable,emotional and alcohol addicted mother. Ruby bears everything her mother doesn’t want to do even her job which is to deliver lost luggages to the people. Ruby also has an older sister, Cora, who always stands out and protects Ruby whenever is necessary. However, after Cora goes to college they lose contact and have never seen each other. Ruby’s mom insists saying Cora has abandoned them and Ruby believes that. Because of the terrible family situation she becomes rebellious and doesn’t trust anybody. They live in the Yellow House now and their landlord is called Ronnie Honeycutt. Life is flavorless but follows the pattern. However, before few months of Ruby’s 18th birthday, her mom left the house unexpectedly. As a result, Ruby starts her temporary own life. She replaced her mom’s job without knowing. She goes to school just as normal as she does. However, things have been found out when Mr. Honeycutt comes over and checks the house situation which is terrible. So then Ruby is sent to the Polar House and thereby gets the connection with her sister, Cora.
RRRRRuby arrives at Cora’s house reluctantly because she thinks she’s doing great on her own. Jaime, Cora’s husband, warmly introduces the house to Ruby - huge backyard, capacious living room, tidy kitchen and nice bedroom for her with an individual bathroom. Everything seems great but unfamiliar to Ruby. She’s very perplexed about her new life and tries to escape. She decides to implement her plan after everybody goes bed. However, she forgets about Roscoe - a cute dog. When Ruby tries to get out of the house he barked at her which leads to the attention from Jaime. Of course she fails but meets Nate who lives behind Jaime’s house. However, she doesn’t give up and decides to try again if there’s an opportunity. Her attitude is very negative by the time she just start a new life. “There’s no way to be a hundred percent sure about anyone or anything. So you’re left with a choice. Either hope for the best, or just expect the worst. And if you expect the worst, you’re never disappointed” (259).Then in the next morning, Ruby has told by Cora that she’s going to Perkins Day which is a really good private school. Ruby suddenly refuses it but under the force of Cora she agreed and follows Jaime to the school where she finds out that Jaime is actually the founder of UMe.com – a very popular online chatting program. Jaime also wants a pond in the backyard and he’s working on it hardly although everybody thinks that’s impossible and crazy.
RRRRRuby’s first class is Literacy and they’re just beginning to make a project. Ruby joins them too and her topic is about family. Beside her sits a girl called Olivia Davis who comes also from Jackson, Ruby’s old school, and always on her cellphone. Since Perkins Day is kind of far from Cora’s house Ruby needs a ride. Jaime suggests Ruby can go with Nate because he has a car. At first, Ruby refuses it but since she always oversleeps she gradually agrees the deal. She meets Gervais Miller in the car and thinks he’s really noisy. Later, when Jaime mentions college to Ruby she feels surprised because she has never thought about it before. She still doesn’t get used to her new life. She misses yellow house and her old “friends” (only Ruby thinks they’re friends). So whenever she sees the opportunity to escape, she tries to ask “friends” for helps but they all have different kinds of excuses. Jaime has given ruby the house key but she hasn’t realized that until she needs the key to open the door. “Weird how it had been there all day, and I hadn’t even felt it or noticed. The one around my neck I was always aware of, both its weight and presence, but maybe that was because it was closer to me, where it couldn’t be missed” (94). Meanwhile, she becomes closer to Nate and helps him with his father’s business. As a result, she meets Harriet who owns a jewelry kiosk at the mall and luckily becomes her first employ. Cora doesn’t agree about it but accept it with some requirements to Ruby. Life becomes better but Ruby still tries to avoid it and continues meeting with old “friends” without other people’s notice.
UUUUUntil one day Jaime talks about his met with Cora, their marriage and wonderful life to Ruby; and since Cora doesn’t want Ruby to misunderstand their meaning she explains to Ruby that she tries to find Ruby but they move a lot and so she can’t do anything about it. Ruby is shocked by this truth and feels very upset. She can’t believe her mom lies to her. She’s in really low mood; and therefore, she skips the school and asks Olivia to drive her to her old school. She wants to meet Marshall so badly but when she gets there she sees Peyton, who used to be her close friend and Marshall both on the bed. She’s surprised and blames their betrays. Because of the double strikes Ruby drinks lots of alcohol and ends up with lying on the ground alone. Olivia feels the difference in Ruby so when she meets Nate she tells him where Ruby is and that saves Ruby. As a result, when Ruby’s awake she doesn’t quite sure what has happened to her. Through the explanation from Nate she learned that her “friends” have left her alone which makes her very surprised. Then Nate tells her, “Friends don’t leave you alone in the woods. Friends are the ones who come and take you out” (222); and therefore, lets her realize her old “friends” don’t count as friends. Ruby has been out there for like 5 or 6 hours and Cora and Jaime are must waiting for her at home. She returned home as quickly as she can but Jaime, who’s always nice to everybody, is in rage now. He blames Ruby for not understanding her sister’s intention to help Ruby starting a new life. Cora offers Ruby a good education opportunity, a nice and comfortable living environment, and a family full of love and cares. Ruby feels really guilty and wants to change herself. “it’s a lot easier to be lost than found and that’s the reason we’re always searching, and rarely discovered – so many locks, not enough keys” (365). Ruby’s searching the key too. This is the turning point of this whole book.
RRRRLife just as peaceful as before but Ruby’s opinions begin to change. She becomes more optimistic than she used to be and begins to open heart to other people like Olivia and Nate. Even Cora has felt her change. During the Thanksgiving Jaime’s family is supposed to come over; and therefore, it causes Cora becomes very worried and scared. And when Jaime’s relatives and parents arrives the house one after the other Cora starts to panic and hides in the closet. Ruby finds out and persuades her to get out and take the challenge. Cora finally agrees and says, “When did you suddenly become so positive” (278). As time passes by, Ruby becomes closer to Nate but is also afraid of further relationship. However, Nate’s kindness and cares affects Ruby; they become lovers. Life has never been so pleasant. The job that she gets from Harriet works pretty well now. Harriet is an independent woman and never asks for help. However, Reggie who owns the vitamin Kiosk next to Harriet worries her so much but she doesn’t feel anything. She wants everything be prefect so usually she does all the works by herself even after she hires Ruby. Yet, gradually she passes the work to Ruby and creates a new kind of necklace which is inspired by Ruby’s necklace. It’s a chain with the key on it. This product becomes very popular among teenagers and brings Harriet lots of benefits. It’s not just a necklace it has a valuable meaning. Like one of the customers says, “Key represents possibility. It’s an open door, a chance” (243). Ruby feels the same way; “In truth, then and now, the key wasn’t just to that lock at the yellow house. It was to me, and life I’d had before” (302).
HHHHHowever, things wouldn’t be always smooth as people expect. Although Ruby feels comfortable about her new life and has many true friends, she still needs to make the college decision, accomplishes a good GPA, and worries about Nate’s unusual family situation that she has found recently. Heather, who’s Nate’s ex-girlfriend, has mentioned that she’s very guilty and sad because she can’t help Nate. And that’s the true reason why they break up. Ruby tries to do the same thing but Nate doesn’t let her which makes Ruby feel very uncomfortable. The relationship between them is not stable. When Ruby finally has the courage to ask Nate about the issue between his dad and him their relationship goes down because Nate refuses to answer any questions and rejects the help that Ruby has given. They don’t talk to each other. They don’t go to school together. Everything goes to the opposite way and Ruby doesn’t have a good mood. They end in a stalemate. No one wants to step out. Meanwhile, Cora has received a letter about her mom and tells to Ruby. Ruby has thought her mom is in Florida with her lover Warner, lives happily. But that’s not true; she’s in a rehab clinic. Ruby feels uncertain and wandering. “In knowing where she was, I could always locate myself, as well. These months she’d been gone, I felt like I’d been floating, loose and boundaryless, but now that I knew where she was, I kept waiting for a kind of certainty to kick in. it didn’t. Instead, I was more unsure than ever, stuck between this new life and the one I’d left behind” (380). However, life needs to continue.
LLLLLLife is stressful and intense to Ruby either because of the issue about Nate or the college application. With the help of Gervais, a genius, Ruby’s Calculus grade has impressive improvement. And so she gets pretty good score on the exam. For the English project Ruby also has done excellent job on it. Meanwhile, Mr. Cross, Nate’s dad, finds out Nate has left the house and doesn’t know where he is. Ruby worries about Nate too and later she remembers that Nate might hide in one of the clients’ house because it’s empty and no one lives there. As a result, she goes there and finds Nate luckily. Then she leads Nate to meet Cora since her work is deal with family problems. Cora contacts Nate’s mom and tells her the circumstance. Therefore, the final deal is that Nate goes to her mom’s place, stays for the summer and then goes to the U (a really good university). Everybody’s satisfied about this solution but also really sad about Nate’s leaving. Ruby drives him to the airport and gives him her necklace with the key of Cora’s house. After he’s gone they still communicate with each other often. And Harriet finally accepts Reggie and goes out for date with him. For the college application Ruby gets into the U successfully. Jaime and Cora are both very proud and happy. Now Ruby doesn’t need the key to the Yellow House any more. She has a new life which is full of future and hope. Like Ruby has defined in her English project. “Family members were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn’t just about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger” (400). And the book ends up with the scene of Ruby’s old key sinks in the pond and then disappears.
RRRRRuby Cooper likes the typical main actress in soap opera has an awful family issue. Her parents are divorced and she has an unreliable,emotional and alcohol addicted mother. Ruby bears everything her mother doesn’t want to do even her job which is to deliver lost luggages to the people. Ruby also has an older sister, Cora, who always stands out and protects Ruby whenever is necessary. However, after Cora goes to college they lose contact and have never seen each other. Ruby’s mom insists saying Cora has abandoned them and Ruby believes that. Because of the terrible family situation she becomes rebellious and doesn’t trust anybody. They live in the Yellow House now and their landlord is called Ronnie Honeycutt. Life is flavorless but follows the pattern. However, before few months of Ruby’s 18th birthday, her mom left the house unexpectedly. As a result, Ruby starts her temporary own life. She replaced her mom’s job without knowing. She goes to school just as normal as she does. However, things have been found out when Mr. Honeycutt comes over and checks the house situation which is terrible. So then Ruby is sent to the Polar House and thereby gets the connection with her sister, Cora.
RRRRRuby arrives at Cora’s house reluctantly because she thinks she’s doing great on her own. Jaime, Cora’s husband, warmly introduces the house to Ruby - huge backyard, capacious living room, tidy kitchen and nice bedroom for her with an individual bathroom. Everything seems great but unfamiliar to Ruby. She’s very perplexed about her new life and tries to escape. She decides to implement her plan after everybody goes bed. However, she forgets about Roscoe - a cute dog. When Ruby tries to get out of the house he barked at her which leads to the attention from Jaime. Of course she fails but meets Nate who lives behind Jaime’s house. However, she doesn’t give up and decides to try again if there’s an opportunity. Her attitude is very negative by the time she just start a new life. “There’s no way to be a hundred percent sure about anyone or anything. So you’re left with a choice. Either hope for the best, or just expect the worst. And if you expect the worst, you’re never disappointed” (259).Then in the next morning, Ruby has told by Cora that she’s going to Perkins Day which is a really good private school. Ruby suddenly refuses it but under the force of Cora she agreed and follows Jaime to the school where she finds out that Jaime is actually the founder of UMe.com – a very popular online chatting program. Jaime also wants a pond in the backyard and he’s working on it hardly although everybody thinks that’s impossible and crazy.
RRRRRuby’s first class is Literacy and they’re just beginning to make a project. Ruby joins them too and her topic is about family. Beside her sits a girl called Olivia Davis who comes also from Jackson, Ruby’s old school, and always on her cellphone. Since Perkins Day is kind of far from Cora’s house Ruby needs a ride. Jaime suggests Ruby can go with Nate because he has a car. At first, Ruby refuses it but since she always oversleeps she gradually agrees the deal. She meets Gervais Miller in the car and thinks he’s really noisy. Later, when Jaime mentions college to Ruby she feels surprised because she has never thought about it before. She still doesn’t get used to her new life. She misses yellow house and her old “friends” (only Ruby thinks they’re friends). So whenever she sees the opportunity to escape, she tries to ask “friends” for helps but they all have different kinds of excuses. Jaime has given ruby the house key but she hasn’t realized that until she needs the key to open the door. “Weird how it had been there all day, and I hadn’t even felt it or noticed. The one around my neck I was always aware of, both its weight and presence, but maybe that was because it was closer to me, where it couldn’t be missed” (94). Meanwhile, she becomes closer to Nate and helps him with his father’s business. As a result, she meets Harriet who owns a jewelry kiosk at the mall and luckily becomes her first employ. Cora doesn’t agree about it but accept it with some requirements to Ruby. Life becomes better but Ruby still tries to avoid it and continues meeting with old “friends” without other people’s notice.
UUUUUntil one day Jaime talks about his met with Cora, their marriage and wonderful life to Ruby; and since Cora doesn’t want Ruby to misunderstand their meaning she explains to Ruby that she tries to find Ruby but they move a lot and so she can’t do anything about it. Ruby is shocked by this truth and feels very upset. She can’t believe her mom lies to her. She’s in really low mood; and therefore, she skips the school and asks Olivia to drive her to her old school. She wants to meet Marshall so badly but when she gets there she sees Peyton, who used to be her close friend and Marshall both on the bed. She’s surprised and blames their betrays. Because of the double strikes Ruby drinks lots of alcohol and ends up with lying on the ground alone. Olivia feels the difference in Ruby so when she meets Nate she tells him where Ruby is and that saves Ruby. As a result, when Ruby’s awake she doesn’t quite sure what has happened to her. Through the explanation from Nate she learned that her “friends” have left her alone which makes her very surprised. Then Nate tells her, “Friends don’t leave you alone in the woods. Friends are the ones who come and take you out” (222); and therefore, lets her realize her old “friends” don’t count as friends. Ruby has been out there for like 5 or 6 hours and Cora and Jaime are must waiting for her at home. She returned home as quickly as she can but Jaime, who’s always nice to everybody, is in rage now. He blames Ruby for not understanding her sister’s intention to help Ruby starting a new life. Cora offers Ruby a good education opportunity, a nice and comfortable living environment, and a family full of love and cares. Ruby feels really guilty and wants to change herself. “it’s a lot easier to be lost than found and that’s the reason we’re always searching, and rarely discovered – so many locks, not enough keys” (365). Ruby’s searching the key too. This is the turning point of this whole book.
RRRRLife just as peaceful as before but Ruby’s opinions begin to change. She becomes more optimistic than she used to be and begins to open heart to other people like Olivia and Nate. Even Cora has felt her change. During the Thanksgiving Jaime’s family is supposed to come over; and therefore, it causes Cora becomes very worried and scared. And when Jaime’s relatives and parents arrives the house one after the other Cora starts to panic and hides in the closet. Ruby finds out and persuades her to get out and take the challenge. Cora finally agrees and says, “When did you suddenly become so positive” (278). As time passes by, Ruby becomes closer to Nate but is also afraid of further relationship. However, Nate’s kindness and cares affects Ruby; they become lovers. Life has never been so pleasant. The job that she gets from Harriet works pretty well now. Harriet is an independent woman and never asks for help. However, Reggie who owns the vitamin Kiosk next to Harriet worries her so much but she doesn’t feel anything. She wants everything be prefect so usually she does all the works by herself even after she hires Ruby. Yet, gradually she passes the work to Ruby and creates a new kind of necklace which is inspired by Ruby’s necklace. It’s a chain with the key on it. This product becomes very popular among teenagers and brings Harriet lots of benefits. It’s not just a necklace it has a valuable meaning. Like one of the customers says, “Key represents possibility. It’s an open door, a chance” (243). Ruby feels the same way; “In truth, then and now, the key wasn’t just to that lock at the yellow house. It was to me, and life I’d had before” (302).
HHHHHowever, things wouldn’t be always smooth as people expect. Although Ruby feels comfortable about her new life and has many true friends, she still needs to make the college decision, accomplishes a good GPA, and worries about Nate’s unusual family situation that she has found recently. Heather, who’s Nate’s ex-girlfriend, has mentioned that she’s very guilty and sad because she can’t help Nate. And that’s the true reason why they break up. Ruby tries to do the same thing but Nate doesn’t let her which makes Ruby feel very uncomfortable. The relationship between them is not stable. When Ruby finally has the courage to ask Nate about the issue between his dad and him their relationship goes down because Nate refuses to answer any questions and rejects the help that Ruby has given. They don’t talk to each other. They don’t go to school together. Everything goes to the opposite way and Ruby doesn’t have a good mood. They end in a stalemate. No one wants to step out. Meanwhile, Cora has received a letter about her mom and tells to Ruby. Ruby has thought her mom is in Florida with her lover Warner, lives happily. But that’s not true; she’s in a rehab clinic. Ruby feels uncertain and wandering. “In knowing where she was, I could always locate myself, as well. These months she’d been gone, I felt like I’d been floating, loose and boundaryless, but now that I knew where she was, I kept waiting for a kind of certainty to kick in. it didn’t. Instead, I was more unsure than ever, stuck between this new life and the one I’d left behind” (380). However, life needs to continue.
LLLLLLife is stressful and intense to Ruby either because of the issue about Nate or the college application. With the help of Gervais, a genius, Ruby’s Calculus grade has impressive improvement. And so she gets pretty good score on the exam. For the English project Ruby also has done excellent job on it. Meanwhile, Mr. Cross, Nate’s dad, finds out Nate has left the house and doesn’t know where he is. Ruby worries about Nate too and later she remembers that Nate might hide in one of the clients’ house because it’s empty and no one lives there. As a result, she goes there and finds Nate luckily. Then she leads Nate to meet Cora since her work is deal with family problems. Cora contacts Nate’s mom and tells her the circumstance. Therefore, the final deal is that Nate goes to her mom’s place, stays for the summer and then goes to the U (a really good university). Everybody’s satisfied about this solution but also really sad about Nate’s leaving. Ruby drives him to the airport and gives him her necklace with the key of Cora’s house. After he’s gone they still communicate with each other often. And Harriet finally accepts Reggie and goes out for date with him. For the college application Ruby gets into the U successfully. Jaime and Cora are both very proud and happy. Now Ruby doesn’t need the key to the Yellow House any more. She has a new life which is full of future and hope. Like Ruby has defined in her English project. “Family members were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn’t just about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger” (400). And the book ends up with the scene of Ruby’s old key sinks in the pond and then disappears.